A petition to remove the mandate that requires athletes to wear masks during competition has picked up enough steam that the next step is a rally at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing.

The rally, generated by the “Unmask MI Youth Sports” Facebook group, is scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

The protest will work in conjunction with the petition, created by Melissa Gipson, who doesn’t agree that masks are safe for athletes during intense physical exertion.

Similarly, the “Let Them Play” rally brought an estimated 400 to 500 people together at the capitol in August to fight against the Michigan High School Athletic Association postponing football until the spring.

The fall season was reinstated shortly thereafter and Gipson is hoping her cause can have a similar result.

“I think it’ll bring attention,” she told MLive Wednesday evening. “That’s my biggest hope. I understand that it would take a lot more to get change, but I want awareness. I want them to understand that there’s a large group of parents and grandparents out there that are saying this needs to change and we need to think of something different.”

Gipson said she started the petition drive on change.org after seeing her daughter gasp for air after running countless cross country races without mask and couldn’t imagine her running with one on.

Gipson, whose daughter runs for North Branch, is concerned about the health of her daughter and other athletes across the state due to a recent Executive Order that requires athletes to wear masks at all times during athletic participation.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued Executive Order 180 based on how easily the virus can spread and how effective masks can be.

To combat the Executive Order, Gipson created the petition in hopes of having the mandate removed so athletes can compete without masks potentially creating additional health threats.

“There’s just nothing safe about it,” Gipson said. “They struggle on a good day and a good race. By the end, they’re struggling to catch their breath and recoup and to further inhibit that, terrified me.

But health experts say masks are safe.

Dr. Matt Axtman, an orthopedic sports medicine doctor for Spectrum Health in West Michigan, has run studies on the impact masks have on athletes and said there has been no evidence to support the claim that masks put athletes at risk during high-intensity training or competition.

Still, Gipson said she believes athletes shouldn’t be forced to wear masks during competition when they’re already constantly wearing them.

“These kids wear masks all day long for school,” Gipson said. “They comply, they do what they’re asked, then they’re expected to go to practices and games immediately after school – on top of being masked all day – then they’re exerting themselves and pushing themselves hard to play these sports that they have played for years and it’s heartbreaking to see them struggle that much to breath.”

The sports that are most affected by the Executive Order are football, volleyball and boys soccer – which all have recently been cleared for competition – because social distance during contact sports is harder to accomplish.

Cross country, golf and tennis can play without masks, if they can stay apart. Swimmers are the only exception to any coverings.

Gipson’s initial signature goal for the petition was 75,000, which if reached, would have been followed by emails to Whitmer and the Michigan High School Athletics Association in hopes of coming up with a better solution.

Now, Gipson is ready to move forward with her plan.

“Nobody else seemed to be picking up on it,” Gipson said on why she started the petition. “So, it was something where I felt if we all had a common goal and saw how many people were in support of getting rid of that mandate, we could band together and figure out a solution to make it work for both, where our kids could participate safely and we could still comply with the mandates that were brought down.”

Gaining traction

The petition has generated a buzz during the one week it’s been live. As of Wednesday evening, the number of signatures sat at 75,801 – and counting.

Many of the people who signed the petition called for the mandate on masks to be removed and to allow athletes to compete without masks, citing health concerns.

“I do not think it is healthy for children athletes to be required to wear masks during extraneous physical exercise such as it is the case with competition,” wrote signee, Ileana McAlary. “There is no scientific evidence that proves that masking children during competition would reduce the risk of virus spread any more than washing hands, sanitizing and keeping social distancing where appropriate.”

With its original goal reached, the new goal for signatures sits at 150,000 and Gipson plans to reach out to the governor and the MHSAA now that she has the support to back her efforts.

Tiffany Brown, the governor’s press secretary, said the governor’s office didn’t anticipate any changes to the order at this time.

John Johnson, the MHSAA’s Director of Broadcast Properties, said the MHSAA was familiar with the petition, but there was no action it could take given the mandate came from the governor.

“We’re aware of the petition, but this is a government Executive Order, not an MHSAA regulation that it targets,” he said in an email. “All the MHSAA can do is obey the law.”

Taking the next step

At the end of the day, Gipson said she’s hopeful the movement will give power back the parents to make decisions, along with their children who play sports.

“I think that we can find a balance of what we think as parents is best for our kids,” she said. “Ultimately, that’s what we’re looking for, it’s for the power to given back to the parents on what we feel is best. Most of us have been raising these kids and been very successful for 14, 16, 18 years. We want the ability to make those decisions for our kids and with our kids.

“We acknowledge and appreciate the parents that support mask wearing and the students that choose to wear them. That’s absolutely fine. We just want the choice for all of our athletes because a one-size-fits-all approach is not the way to go.”

MORE:

Gov. Whitmer: Football players, other athletes must mask up, even while competing

MHSAA: 4 different types of face coverings allowable for football players, for now

MHSAA won’t require officials to wear masks, seeks clarification for athletes